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Corrie star denies rape charges

The star, who plays car mechanic Kevin Webster in the ITV soap, is facing 12 charges in all - five counts of rape, three of indecent assault, two counts of sexual activity with a child and two of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

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Former Coronation Street actress Helen Flanagan, who played the role of Michael Le Vell's daughter on the ITV soap, has told Daybreak that "everyone" who knew him personally was certain "he would be found not guilty" of child sex abuse allegations.

Helen Flanagan told Daybreak she "couldn't imagine what he had been through" and said it was "absolutely heartbreaking" when Le Vell was charged.

Mr Starmer told the Committee: "There is a safeguard within our system and that is at the end of the prosecution's case in court, it is not only open to the judge it is the duty of the judge to stop the case if there's no case to answer.

"That did not happen in this case, and therefore there was a case to answer. That case was answered and the jury took some time to consider their verdict.

"So it was a properly brought case, it's not a case on which there was no evidence, had it been it would have been stopped half way after testing of the evidence."

Former colleagues of Coronation Street's Michael Le Vell have said they are delighted his reputation has been restored. The actor, who plays garage mechanic Kevin Webster, is expected to return to the soap after a jury cleared him of child sex abuse charges yesterday.

A top prosecutor has denied there is a "celebrity witch-hunt" in the wake of the acquittal of Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell on child sex abuse charges.

Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell smiles with his sister Sue after he was cleared of all charges. Credit: Dave Thompson/PA Wire

Nazir Afzal, the Crown Prosecution Service national lead on child sexual exploitation, said "nobody should be above the law" and it that is the Crown's job to look at evidence, follow it wherever it may go and then present it.

Speaking at a child sexual exploitation conference in Blackburn, Mr Afzal stressed that each case was assessed on its own merits, regardless of whether a suspect had a high public profile.

A former Coronation Street actor has said he is "absolutely over the moon" after Michael Le Vell was cleared of child abuse charges. Bruce Jones, who played Les Battersby was speaking after Le Vell was yesterday cleared of child abuse charges.